Who we are?

The Institute for Urban Economics (IUE) is a non-government and non-profit organization established in Moscow in 1995.

The IUE’s mission consists in providing analysis and assistance to cities and regions in social and economic development. Target audience: state authorities and local governments; business; non-profit, societal and academic organizations. 

Management Board: Chairperson - Nadezhda B. Kosareva, IUE President; members - Alexander S. Puzanov, IUE General Director, Acting Director of the Municipal Economic Development Department; Tatyana D. Polidi, IUE Executive Director, Head of the Real Estate Market Department. 

We made a significant breakthrough in the analytical interpretation of urban development processes in Russia and participated in drafting proposals with regard to the new model for cities and metropolitan areas development as drivers of the country’s economic growth. This work was carried out jointly with the Center for Strategic Research. The results of these and other studies of the Institute for Urban Economics were discussed at the Conference ‘New Agenda for Development of Russia’s Cities’, held by the Institute for Urban Economics. The Conference was attended by 150 experts from 15 Russian regions. The Conference were financed through the IUE Endowment.Today, the IUE is one of the leading think tanks carrying out a comprehensive research of the processes that take place in Russian regions and municipalities and the country, in general. The IUE suggests new solutions on social and economic development of territories, participates in lawmaking process, makes an independent evaluation of the situation, and organizes public dialogue on the most critical issues of the country’s development. For the third year in a row IUE is in the TOP-50 of the Global Go To Think Tank Index - in the top one hundred independent think tanks in the area of social policy and in the Top Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe. 

Many of the IUE’s developments had great importance for the country. They enabled the enhancement of efficiency of municipal governance and improvement of people’s welfare. The IUE contributed to holding first open competitions for technical maintenance and management of housing stock, first land tenders, issuing first state housing certificates, opening first individual social accounts, training first experts in mortgage lending, implementing target social programs.

In many Russian cities people benefit in real terms from implementation of the models developed by the IUE. Today, there is practically no city or rural settlement in Russia where needy residents cannot receive a housing allowance. The IUE played an important role in liquidation of a system of “unfunded mandates” by means of which higher tiers of public authority reassigned the responsibilities for funding their decisions to lower tiers. The programs and approaches rely on methodological guidelines developed by the IUE experts.

The IUE has an extensive experience in law-making activity. The IUE experts contributed to development of over 100 Russian legislative and regulatory legal acts, including federal acts as follows:

• On State Registration of Real Estate Rights and Transactions (1997)
• On Mortgage of Real Estate (1998)
• Land Code of the Russian Federation (2001)
• On Mortgage-Backed Securities (2003)
• Town Planning Code of the Russian Federation (2004)
• Housing Code of the Russian Federation (2004)
• On Principles of Tariff Regulation for Utility Organizations (2004)
• On Participation in Equity Construction of Apartment Buildings and Other Real Estate Objects and On Amendments to Selected Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation (2004)
• On the Housing and Utilities Reform Fund (2007)
• On Promoting the Development of Housing Construction (2008)
• Amendments to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation as they relate to capital repairs of common property in Apartment Buildings – Federal law No. 271 (2012)
• Amendments to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation as they relate to non-profit rental of residential premises – Federal law No. 217 (2014)

Main activities and services  

• Investigating social and economic problems of urban territories  
• Putting in practice the results of research by way of implementing demonstration projects
• Participating in designing and reviewing legislative and other regulatory legal documents on urban development regulation, housing policy, development of real estate market 
• Assisting state authorities and local governments in developing strategies, practical policies, and implementation of municipal economy reform
• Providing scientific and methodological assistance to organizations, enterprises, property companies, and developers in developing and implementing the programs on urban economy and real estate market development
• Training, skills development, educational and methodological activity
• Dissemination of experience, practical developments and recommendations via mass media and the IUE’s publications  

The IUE is an observer of the Association of Russian Economic Think Tanks, a member of non-commercial partnership “Union of Financiers of Russia”, a member of European Network for Housing Research, a member of International Union for Housing Finance, and a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The IUE’s representatives are members of expert council of the All-Russia Local Governance Council.

The IUE maintains the staff of 35 permanent employees and consultants. The IUE experts are widely known for their scientific and practical developments, master modern research techniques and have a huge body of experience in cooperation with municipalities on developing the programs of social and economic development. Almost half of the IUE experts have a Ph.D. degree and international certificates in finance, property management, social policy and other special areas.

From 1995 over 17,500 articles, interviews and comments with and by the IUE experts were published in mass media. More than 2,300 seminars, round-table discussions and conferences attended by over 160,000 persons were held. The IUE issued more than 300 publications, with total circulation of 300,000 copies.

IUE DEPARTMENTS​

​Real Estate Market department of IUE was founded in 1998 and and focuses on implementation of projects in development and regulation of real estate, including housing markets, housing construction, mortgage lending, town planning regulation, taxation, state registration and cadastral registration of real estate. Head of the Real Estate Market Department, Executive Director of IUE - Tatyana D. Polidi. 

Urban Economy department of IUE since its creation in 1996 has carried out projects in housing and public utilities development, including those on management of multi-apartment buildings, capital repairs and energy conservation, development of communal infrastructure, tariff regulation, Public Private Partnership in the utility sector. Head of the Urban Economy Department - Irina V. Gentsler .

Municipal Economic Development department of IUE was created in 2000. Its main tasks are promotion development of local self-government, introduction of modern technologies of municipal management, dissemination of the best practices of municipal socio-economic development. General Director, Acting Director of the Municipal Economic Development Department - Alexander S. Puzanov. 

We are proud of our achivements

• Supporting the creation of the first state institute of housing development – ОАО “Agency for Housing Mortgage Lending” (AHML), (1997)
• Creating the Euro-Asian Rating Service, concluding an agreement on strategic partnership with the agency “Standard & Poor’s” (1998)
• Publishing the Scenarios of Russian Cities Development untill 2015 (2003)
• Establishing the Department of Urban Economics and Municipal Governance at the State University “Higher School of Economics” (2004)
• Publishing the City Manifest (2006)          
• Starting annual Saburov Readings on pressing issues of urban development (2010)
• Supporting the creation of the Higher School of Urban Studies at the State University “Higher School of Economics” (2011)
• Establishment of IUE Endowment (2013)
• Studying economic problems of urban periphery areas for the Moscow Urbanistic Forum within the framework of the international research “Archeology of Periphery” (2013)
• Developing and holding an expert discussion of the New Housing Strategy (2015)

Educational activity: Department of Urban Economics and Municipal Governance at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) (academic, methodological and organizational support).
Membership: The Association of Russian Economic Think Tanks (ARETT); The European Network for Housing Research (ENHR); International Union for Housing Finance (IUHF)

IUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Sergey A. Vasiliev Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian-Asian Development Bank; Chairman

Yevgeny G. Yasin Academic Supervisor of the Higher School of Economics (National Research University Higher School of Economics)

Konstantin N. Aprelev President of Savva Real Estate Agency, LLC; Vice President of The Russian Guild of Realtors; Chairman of The Council on Self-Regulation of Professional and Entrepreneurial Activities for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

 

IUE COUNCIL AND MANAGEMENT BOARD

Nadezhda B. Kosareva Chairperson of IUE Council (President of the Institute)

Alexander S. Puzanov General Director

Tatyana D. Polidi Executive Director

IUE Council members

Elena G. Klepikova IFC (World Bank Group) Banking Expert

Margarita V. Pinegina

Sergey B. Sivaev FCPF Managing Director

Andrey Yu. Suchkov VTB Bank Senior Vice President

Marina D. Shapiro